Nigeria

Should politicians in Nigeria give money to the poor?

Is ‘patrimonial politics’ bad for Africa? Or might distributing cash actually be an integral part of good governance? LSE’s Portia Roelofs draws on her recent publications on Nigerian politics to tackle one of the most important debates in democracy and development: should politicians give money to the poor?

All politics involves distribution. Indeed, many would claim that politics is at […]

State responsibility, Boko Haram and human rights law

Nobody has been held accountable for the ongoing kidnappings of civilians by Boko Haram. Oluwafifehan Ogunde examines Nigeria’s human rights law and asks whether the government’s decision to prioritise words over action will result in legal repercussions.

On 17 September 2018 an aid worker with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa, was killed in […]

The Dangerous African Marriage of Religion to Tradition

Using Yoruba traditions as a reference, Foluke Adebisi explores the centuries’-long intertwining of religion and tradition in many African societies.

Increasingly, we see culture, religion and tradition being used as justification for legislative actions, administrative actions and executive policies. The effect of this is a blurring of the lines between the personal and the political spheres in African society. I suggest […]

Reading List: Most popular book reviews of 2018

We couldn’t say goodbye to 2018 before sharing our top book reviews of the year, as voted by your clicks! Here they are:

Afrotopia by Felwine Sarr – Anna Wood calls “Afrotopia” an inspiring manifesto and metaphor for a new Africa.
The Oromo and the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia 1300-1700 by Mohammed Hassen – Aleksander Engeskaug says this book is an important […]

Reading List: Most popular blog posts of 2018

As the final few hours of 2018 dwindle away, let’s look back at 2018 and discover the best-read Africa@LSE blog posts of the year.

Transformation euphoria in the Horn of Africa – As political transformation occurs across the Horn of Africa at an unprecedented pace, Abukar Arman provides a comprehensive analysis of the rapidly changing situation.
The unenviable situation of Tigreans […]

Nigeria’s Presidential elections: are six female candidates better than one?

2018 is emerging as the “year of the woman”, with record numbers of women being elected in the US mid-terms, and first-time female presidents appointed in Singapore and Vietnam, among others. With the 2019 presidential election looming, Emily van der Merwe examines how Nigeria is faring.

Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election is turning out to be a race of geriatrics, […]

Book Review: Creed and Grievance: Muslim-Christian Relations and Conflict Resolution in Northern Nigeria

LSE’s Portia Roelofs calls this book an important new resource for those concerned with public action to build peace in northern Nigeria

There are a lot of books about Boko Haram out at the moment. Creed and Grievance: Muslim-Christian Relations and Conflict Resolution in northern Nigeria, edited by Abdul Raufu Mustapha and David Ehrhardt, is probably the most important new […]

The emigration of doctors from Nigeria is not today’s problem, it is tomorrow’s

LSE’s Adura Banke-Thomas argues that Nigeria needs to urgently rethink its policies towards the training and retention of doctors.

In a speech delivered by the Nigerian Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole at the 38th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, he argued that the number of doctors in Nigeria […]

Seeing and Being Development’s ‘Other’: Representations of Africa and Diaspora Audiences

Dr Edward Ademolu outlines how his interest in the politics of visual representation particular in the development/humanitarian spheres evolved.

As a young child in the 1990s my introduction to international development was through watching the performative biennial telethon ‘Red Nose Day’ of Comic Relief, a major UK charity. This high-profile event armed with prosthetic noses, mainstream contemporary music, and […]

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